We agree on the goals, audiences, sitemap, page roles, content, design direction, responsibilities, and requirements that will shape the site. You review the relevant content and layouts before they are implemented. Working-site review and launch approval follow as separate checkpoints.
How we build websites
Build the plan before you build the website.
Understand what the site needs to accomplish, how we develop the content and experience, what you will review, and how the work moves through launch.
Business direction + evidence
Page roles + content direction
UX, design + build requirements
The expensive mistakes happen when important decisions stay invisible.
We start with the decisions that shape the site: who it needs to reach, what buyers need to understand, which evidence supports the message, and what each page should help a visitor do next.
That planning gives writing, design, and development a shared direction. Clear review points keep you involved before decisions become expensive to change.
For the service overview, explore Strategic Websites.
Website development process
A visible path from strategy to a working site.
The process connects planning, content, design, implementation, review, and launch. Strategic Planning is the kickoff within Design. The four numbered stages are Design, Build, Test, and Go Live, followed by support and ongoing improvement.
Onboarding: Strategic Planning. Confirm goals, audiences, scope, page priorities, content responsibilities, and the requirements that guide the website. Approve Direction.
1. Design. Develop the page content, layouts, and visual design around what buyers need to understand and do. Approve Design + Content.
2. Build. Turn the approved content and design into working pages, forms, integrations, and tracking.
3. Test. Check content, responsiveness, accessibility, search readiness, forms, integrations, and tracking before launch. Approve Launch.
4. Go Live. Publish the approved website, verify the live experience, and confirm access, ownership, and next steps. Marketing Handoff.
Support + Ongoing Improvements. Monitor performance, maintain the site, resolve issues and prioritize improvements through marketing sprints or as needed.
What the planning work produces
We define the pages, content, and functionality the website needs before production. Page-specific content briefs give the writer the audience, message, proof, and next step for each page. The working documents below carry those decisions through writing, design, and development.
Sitemap Recommendations
Shows the proposed page inventory, navigation, page purpose, visitor questions, and evidence needed to support the site.
Website Page Plan
Connects every approved URL to its page role, template, redirects, content status, design status, and build status.
UX & Component Plan
Records the page layouts, interactions, existing components, and any custom work or scope decisions the website requires.
Website Content Document
Holds the copy developed from each page’s brief for review and approval before it is placed into the website.
- Design kickoff. Confirm goals, audiences, scope, sitemap direction, responsibilities, available evidence, and planning priorities.
- Design approval. Review the content, page layouts, and required interactions. Confirm that the proposed experience supports what each page needs to accomplish.
- Build review. Review the working site against the approved direction and actual page content. Identify corrections before launch.
- Launch approval. Confirm testing, redirects, access, ownership, go-live timing, and the agreed support arrangements.
Decision points
You should always know what you are reviewing—and why it matters.
We organize reviews around specific decisions. You can see what needs approval, how your feedback will be used, and which decisions need to be settled before the next part of the work.
Flexible within an approved system
The page should follow the content—not force the content into the wrong layout.
A page that explains a service may need a different layout from one that answers a question or invites a request. We use established design standards and reusable components, then choose the arrangement that helps visitors understand the content and act.
Adapt within the system
Use established page layouts and components where they fit. Adjust the composition when the content needs a different way to present the message, evidence, or next step.
Keep scope visible
Identify new functionality, integrations, or custom design and development before the work begins, so their purpose and scope can be agreed.
Working relationship
Clear responsibilities keep the website moving.
Access, source material, reviews, and approvals all affect progress. We make the responsibilities clear so you know what we lead, what your team needs to supply, and which decisions keep the work moving.
We lead
Strategy, page planning, content direction, UX, visual design, development coordination, testing, and launch readiness within the agreed scope.
Your team supplies
Business context, source material, brand assets, platform and DNS access, subject-matter review, approvals, and timely decisions.
The process protects
The approved page inventory, documented decisions, visible scope, working access, launch quality, and a clear owner for what happens next.
Questions about the website process
Yes. Writing, UX planning, and visual design can move in parallel within the agreed page direction. Changes to the message, page purpose, or required interaction are brought back for review before they affect implementation.
No. We use established templates and reusable components, but each page’s layout needs to serve its content and purpose. A page can use an existing template with a different composition where the available settings support it. New functionality or material scope changes are agreed separately.
The page plan and UX & Component Plan record the visitor need, required behavior, and agreed scope. Forms, integrations, custom interactions, and other features are included when they are approved for the engagement. We explain the impact of additional work before it is built.
Launch includes publication and checks that the live site is working as intended. Monitoring, maintenance, support, and improvements follow the arrangements agreed for your engagement. Where useful, website improvements can connect with a separate marketing work plan.
